The sparkling.
Ratchet jolted awake, snapping into a sitting position.
He sat there for a moment, wondering why he was suddenly panicked, and soon relaxed because he couldn't think of an answer. He looked down at the berth he was resting on. Had he fallen into recharge?
The thought puzzled him for a moment, then a sound coming from the other side of the room reminded him of why he had woken up in the first place.
The sparkling.
Ratchet grumbled tiredly, pinching the bridge between his optics before he stood. He looked around, spotting the sparkling wandering around the room, touching everything he could get his hands on. He was clearly full of energy, the ability to walk making him want to do so. Ratchet walked up to the sparkling, heaving him off of the ground and holding him in his arms.
Orion playfully attempted to grab Ratchet's fingers. The medic frowned, all feelings he had for the sparkling before promptly disappearing.
"Don't even think about it," Ratchet grumbled, practically dropping the sparkling onto his berth. He turned back around, muttering to himself.
Orion's smile only brightened at the medic's voice, and he hopped off of the berth, latching onto his caretaker's leg with a hum of content. Ratchet swiftly shifted his footing, and slipped out of the sparkling's grasp.
The loss of support ended up causing Orion to tumble backwards and bump into a desk, accidently knocking over one of Ratchet's tools, which fell and shattered onto the floor. Ratchet spun around at the crash, optics wide, then saw Orion take a step away from the sharp shards of metal scattered on the floor. Ratchet let out all of his frustration at once. "Orion, I needed that!"
"I'm sure you did, Ratchet," At the sound of his name, Ratchet turned to face the entrance to his quarters, where Voltlock was leaning against the door frame with a smirk. "But you also have two more on the desk."
Ratchet blinked, then glanced back and saw what Voltlock was talking about. Two tools that looked exactly like the one smashed on the floor. Ratchet frowned. "Right."
Voltlock rolled his optics, walking in and picking the sparkling up off of the floor. Orion immediately started struggling, arms reaching out towards Ratchet. Voltlock's optics glowed and he let out a laugh. "Well, look at this, Ratch'. He likes you."
"He'd better stop." Ratchet countered as he began picking up the remains of his broken tool. "Eventually, I won't be forced to looked after him any longer. Once he's better, he's gone."
Voltlock's smile faltered momentarily, before he looked back down at Orion, who gave up trying to get free and instead watched the two medics talking. Voltlock's smile returned, though not as large as before.
Voltlock walked over to Ratchet, handing Orion to his fellow medic. The metal of his arm shifted.
"I'm sure you were expecting this, but I have to go," Voltlock said, reading over a scan on his forearm. "It's just a quick inspection, I'll be back in less than a Klik."
Voltlock made his way out of the room, turning back only to tease his fellow medic.
"You two have fun." Voltlock said with a smirk before the door closed behind him. Ratchet huffed in annoyance, then once again placed Orion on the sparkling's berth, though Orion's optics stayed locked where Voltlock had exited.
Ratchet turned to the desk, grabbing one of the tools and adjusting it slightly. The room was surprisingly quiet after Voltlock left. For the next few Kliks, Ratchet was able to work without interruption, putting his tools out of the sparkling's reach.
Someone was trying to uplink Ratchet. The silence disturbed, Ratchet was annoyed as he accepted the call.
"Need me for anything else?" Voltlock's voice perked up from the other end of the uplink.
Ratchet frowned. "Don't you have a patient to get to?"
"The examination is finished," Voltlock said. "I told you it'd be quick."
Ratchet didn't reply, only taking out a thermometer that he planned to use to see if the sparkling's temperature was still below average.
Voltlock spoke up again. "You done with the kid, yet?"
"Well, if he would just sit down for a minute, I could finish his check up!" Ratchet growled, spinning around to face the sparkling's berth. "Now, Orion, I-"
Ratchet stopped short at the sight of the empty berth. He stared at it for a moment, as if he expected the sparkling to suddenly reappear on it, then turned around to see if he had accidentally placed Orion on his own berth.
He wasn't there, either. Ratchet frowned, kneeling down to see if the sparkling had crawled under a desk. "Orion?"
There was nothing. Ratchet felt his spark rate increase. Optics widening slightly, he turned to face the open door of his quarters.
As he stepped into the hallway, Voltlock spoke up. "Something wrong, Ratch'?"
"Voltlock, is Orion with you?" Ratchet asked slowly, tone unintentionally low.
Voltlock didn't respond right away, as if taking a moment to shake his head, even though Ratchet couldn't see. "No. Why?"
Ratchet's optics scanned his quarters from the outside, but there was no one there. "He's gone."
There was almost a full Klik of silence. "What?"
"Orion isn't here, he must have gotten out," Ratchet explained, making his way down the hallway, trying to find a trace of his charge.
"I'll be right there." Voltlock said quickly, and the uplink was abruptly cut off. Ratchet didn't care, though. Orion was missing.
A normal sparkling wandering around alone was bad enough, but a sickly defective was at risk of severe viruses. His immune system was not yet developed. If Orion left the Medical Center, Ratchet would most likely never be able to find him. The medic would have no idea where to search. He most likely wouldn't have been so concerned if Orion wasn't at risk of dying.
True to his word, Voltlock ran around the corner, stopping right in front of Ratchet. His faceplate was extremely stern, and he was clearly trying, but failing, to keep his voice calm. He knew the risks just as well as his fellow medic did. "Ratchet, what were you doing?!"
Ratchet tried to find the right words to use, but he could think of none. His voice went quiet. "I don't know."
Voltlock looked like he wanted to say more, but instead started looking down the halls. His expression showed anger, but his optics glowed with only concern.
Ratchet didn't even think about what the Guilds of Cybertron would do to him. He was focused on finding his charge. He didn't notice his own sudden change in demeanor towards the sparkling.
Ratchet joined the search.
Orion walked down the hallways, almost inspecting everything he saw as he passed it. With a smile on his faceplate, he wandered aimlessly, unseen by any other Cybertronians around.
Everything was new to the sparkling. Without being trapped in someone's arms, he could move around freely, and discover. He wished to learn, and he had a chance to do so by walking on his own. There were no restrictions.
But, he was young. Only a sparkling. He didn't know what was right or wrong.
Orion let out a click that sounded like a laugh of enjoyment. Everything was new, unseen by him before then, and he wanted to see it all. If the only way he could learn was to wander aimlessly down the halls, he would gladly do so, but he wouldn't understand that yet. The young sparkling wandered over to a window, standing as tall as he could, just barely able to peek into it.
He could see outside. There were many Cybertronians out there, and they all looked so nice and friendly. The sky was clear, except for a few seekers flying through the air. Orion watched them until they were out of view.
A passerby noticed Orion looking through the window. Orion smiled endearingly and waved. The passerby stared, then frowned and strode away. Orion's smile disappeared momentarily, before it returned and he left the window to look around the Medical Center again. Another window would give him a different view of the planet's surface, so he started towards another one, practically skipping as he made his way towards one. But, Orion stumbled, bumping into someone's leg and falling down from the impact.
Orion shook his head, looking up to see Cybertronian, who had turned around and looked down at the sparkling sprawled beside his feet. The Cybertronian was older than Orion, not young enough to be considered a sparkling, but still young. His grey and purple frame was scraped and dirty, and seemed to have been for a long period of time. His blue optics watched Orion coldly for a moment, judging him, before he knelt down closer to the sparkling's optic level. "Hello."
Orion only stared. To most, the Cybertronian would look rather terrifying, even at his younger age, but Orion wasn't afraid.
"What is your name?" The Cybertronian continued, his question almost sounding more like a demand, and would have if it wasn't said with such a calm voice. He waited for a response, but he didn't know that Orion couldn't give one. The Cybertronian was right to assume that Orion was able to speak, as most sparklings at that age would be able to speak full sentences. However, Orion was not like most sparklings, and the Cybertronian was beginning to realize that as well. "Can you even talk?"
Orion still sat there. Those words meant nothing to him. Orion could not speak. He didn't understand what was being said to him.
"No?" The Cybertronian said, tone more condescending then friendly. He stood from his position, apparently satisfied by the sparkling's condition. "Well then, my name is D-16."
D-16 held out a hand for Orion to take. Orion blinked, then reached out and grasped D-16's fingers, letting himself get pulled to his feet. Orion took a moment to regain his footing, then once he had, he looked back to D-16 with a smile. D-16 let out a vaguely unimpressed hum before turning around and continuing on his way. Orion stayed still, then ran up to D-16, walking behind him with curious optics.
D-16 heard Orion following him, the sparkling's feet tapping lightly on the metal floor with every step. D-16 stopped again, looking back at the sparkling with a light glare. "What do you want?"
Orion did not answer. He only moved to stand next to D-16, looking up at him with a smile.
D-16's expression remained stern, and he eyed Orion suspiciously, then he allowed a smirk to appear on his faceplate. He nodded, continuing on his way. After taking a few steps, he looked over his shoulder to the sparkling who hadn't moved from that spot. D-16 smirk did not disappear. "Come along."
Orion's faceplate brightened, and he hurried next to his fellow Cybertronian, walking beside him in silence.
D-16 continued to where he wished to go, treating Orion as if he was just another passenger on an Astro Train. He did not always acknowledge the sparkling, but when he did, it was to see if he was still strolling along next to him. He was not bothered by the company, rather, he was mildly pleased. The sparkling next to him could not speak, and most likely could not understand what he said. D-16 knew that whatever he told the sparkling would never be repeated.
They stayed silent for a while longer as D-16 continued forward. It took a few Kliks, and he finally reached his destination.
The refueling station was almost empty. A group of Cybertronians were yelling in the corner of the room, laughing as they spoke. The newest Energon sorter was checking over a list of the amount left in stock, which was low. Only a few Energon cubes were visible in the pile. The only other Cybertronians there were D-16 and Orion themselves.
The sorter looked up from his list to see a young miner approaching him, a serious look in his optics. The miner stopped a few steps away from him, then spoke. "I would like a cube of Energon."
The sorter smiled and nodded, turning around to pick up a cube before giving it to the young miner. He did not thank him, just walked off to the other end of the room to drink in peace. The sorter was about to continued reading the list, when he saw someone that he recognized.
The sorter grinned. "Hello, little sparkling!"
Orion clicked, sending the sorter a wave, having not yet joined D-16 at the other side of the refueling station.
"Where's your medic?" The sorter asked. "Did he get that miner to watch you?"
Though he did not understand what the sorter said, Orion followed his gaze, which landed on D-16 standing away from everyone, looking at a screen that displayed what the population perceived as 'interesting facts about Cybertron'.
Orion grinned, saying nothing. He turned around, leaving the sorter standing there without a response. The sorter shrugged, then walked into a room where spare Energon was stored, planning on refilling the stockpile. Orion began making his way over to D-16, but was stopped by a large foot stepping in his path.
Orion looked up, seeing a group of a few mechs and a femme watching him with crazed optics. The largest mech stood before Orion, hunched over slightly. The others were trying not to laugh, either leaning against the wall or each other for support so they didn't fall over. The scent of High Grade enveloped them, but they didn't seem to notice. If they did, they enjoyed it.
"Heeeey, liddle kid," The largest mech said, words slurring together. His grin was wicked. "Whad are you doin' here all by yerself?"
Orion blinked. These Cybertronians were weird, and they smelt bad. Orion tried to go around the mech, but he stepped in front of him again.
"Don leave, we jus wanna talk to yuh," He continued, then laughed. Orion took a step back, and the large mech took a step forward. "We jus wanna hav fun wid yuh."
Orion tried to get away again, but the group had surrounded him while he was focused on the speaker. They came closer, some laughing, some just smiling like a caged and starved scraplet about to catch it's prey. Orion swallowed, unable to call out to anyone for help. He stepped back. They stepped closer. They were within arms reach. They grabbed his shoulders. He couldn't break free.
"Leave him alone."
The group looked forward, apparently having a hard time focusing on the Cybertronian who spoke. D-16 glared hard at the mechs and femmes holding Orion hostage. The largest, most overcharged mech, spoke with an extremely slurred voice. "Whaaat?"
"I said," D-16 growled threateningly, taking a step towards them. "Leave. Him. Alone."
The mech frowned, practically shoving Orion into the center of the group as he stumbled over to the younger Cybertronian who confronted him. He leaned down closer to D-16's level, breath stained with a revolting stench from the numerous cubes of High Grade he practically inhaled. "Whad 're you gunna do 'bout it?"
D-16 wasted no time, proptly kicking the mech directly in the knee, hard. The mech crumbled to the ground with a hiss of pain, swearing under his breath. The rest of the overcharged stared in shock, before another mech tried to make a move. D-16 was quicker, darting behind the mech and punching him in the back with a loud crack. Something obviously broke. The two mechs were down on the floor.
D-16, satisfied, turned to glare at the rest of the group, optics almost glowing red. He looked absolutely terrifying.
Even overcharged, they knew not to mess with someone who could take two of their strongest members in a sparkbeat. They let go of Orion's arms, and the sparkling ran over to D-16, latching onto his arm. D-16 allowed Orion to hold his hand as they left the refueling station, though he didn't really want to.
"Sparkling," D-16 said sternly, Orion letting go of his hand at the tone of his voice. "Never let someone take advantage of you like that. Never."
D-16 suddenly looked uncomfortable, slowly rubbing at his chest. Apparently, the fighting had either injured or strained him, though he couldn't tell which. Orion tilted his head, only able to see what was causing D-16 pain after he removed his hand.
Orion blinked up at D-16, staring at a scar that trailed directly across his chest. D-16 followed the sparkling's gaze, then frowned. He remembered how he got it. There was a lot of pain, and it was all so sudden. Orion clicked once, getting D-16 attention. D-16 was silent for a moment before he began to speak.
"The mine had collapsed," D-16 said. He unconsciously tracing a finger along the wound. "It was a long time ago. I was still a sparkling."
D-16 appeared lost in his thoughts. He slowly stopped walking, standing in the middle of the hall. Orion remained next to him.
"A fellow miner and I came to this Medical Center. We tried to collect Energon, as our own stockpile had been destroyed. A sorter refused to spare any, even though some were dying from a lack of Energon," D-16 continued, voice lowering as he spoke. "Cybertron is becoming a home for the sparkless. It shouldn't be this way. Something has to be done."
D-16 innocence had long since left him. He had seen death many times, even risking it as he worked beneath Cybertron. It had hardened him, whether he realized it or not. He was changing into something dangerous.
A hand placed on his returned D-16 to reality. He looked down at Orion, who was watching him curiously. D-16 remained silent for a moment, then he began walking away. Orion went after him, but D-16 stopped him. Leaving Orion standing there, D-16 walked over to the Medical Center's main exit, turning around to say one last thing to the sparkling he never learned the name of. "Don't fall prey to the caste."
With that, D-16 left. Orion stayed still, having not understood anything that had been said to him. D-16 wasn't there anymore, so Orion was on his own again. A smile returned to his faceplate, and he was off again, walking back the way he came.
It took less than a Klik to get back to the refueling station. Orion stepped in, noticing the group of overcharged Cybertronians give him a glare before returning to yelling obscenities at each other. Orion didn't approach them. They were mean.
Orion's smile didn't leave his faceplate. He continued through the refueling station, giving the sorter a small wave as he walked by, which the sorter returned. He had not seen what had transpired in the refueling station earlier, since he had left before it started. Orion continued walking, until he had left the refueling station again.
He had seen these hallways before, while walking with D-16. He was unfazed by his lack of company, using it to do what he wished as he walked down the halls, looking for things that were new to him.
There was a series of loud thumps, evenly spaced apart, as a large Cybertronian mech walked around the corner. The mech stood in front of Orion, preventing the sparkling from passing through. He held something in his hands, though Orion couldn't see from his position. The mech was black and white, with deep blue optics.
The corners of the mech's mouth twitched upwards as he took a few steps towards Orion, kneeling down in what appeared to be an attempt to look less intimidating, though Orion was never fearful in the first place. The mech's faceplate shuttered for a Klik before regaining it's previous expression.
"Hey, little one," The mech said quietly, placing a careful hand on the sparkling's shoulder. "Ratchet taking good care of you?"
Orion's head tilted slightly, and he said nothing.
"You're a good little sparkling," The mech continued, voice dropping even further until it was just above a whisper. "Very good."
The mech reached out with his other hand, holding out a datapad. Orion watched the mech questioningly, before he took the datapad out of the mech's hands and looked over it with interest. The mech chuckled.
"He should see that," The mech continued, almost murmuring. "If he doesn't remember, he will."
Orion looked back to the mech, optics studying him closely. The mech then shook his head, a wide smirk appearing on his faceplate.
The mech twitched, patting the sparkling on the helm before tracing two fingers along his cheek. The mech stood up, watching the sparkling a moment longer before he began walking away, while giving his parting words. "Take care, Orion."
The sparkling blinked. He recognized that word. He heard it multiple times, always directed towards him, but he didn't know what it meant. The voice that the strange mech used wasn't the voice that normally said that word. Orion remembered the voice. It was familiar and comforting, not like the strange mech, who was angry and filled with static. He wanted to go back to whoever owned the voice.
Orion let out a barely audible whine, taking a step back and looking around. The area around him was different. It didn't register to him the he didn't know where he was, only that he was alone.
Things that were new or different meant nothing to him anymore. They only added to his fear. He didn't know what they were. They were unfamiliar. Orion clutched the datapad to his chest and he began making his way forward.
He turned around, walking slowly through the halls. He went to turn the corner, but his optics widened at the sight of a tall femme standing there. Orion quickly went back, unnoticed by the femme. Orion took a few steps backwards, and bumped into something. Orion turned around, and saw a large mech looking down at him. Orion stiffened, then hurried into what he hoped was an empty hall.
Suddenly, all of his fellow Cybertronians looked giant and threatening.
He managed to evade the optics of two Cybertronian mechs having an intense conversation. They were yelling, very loudly. Other Cybertronians made a wise decision to stay out of their way. Orion covered his audio receptors. They were too loud.
Everything was too loud.
Orion tried to find peace by entering a seemingly abandoned room, but realizing too late that he was not by himself. A medic with hands replaced by saws and drills was hovering over a mech lying on an operating table, Energon pouring from the large incision onto the floor. He escaped, but not before slipping on spilt Energon, hands and knees drenched in it. Swallowing back a cough, the sparkling ran out of the room, each step he took trailing Energon behind him.
He had to stop. He was gasping for breath. He slowed down until his feet were firmly planted on the floor, hand against the wall to stabilize himself. Orion looked at his hand, moving it just enough to see blue dripping down from where he touched.
He coughed, harshly. He had strained himself far too much. The constant running and walking and moving around had taken so much out of him. He was very tired. Even so, he continued forward. That was the only way he could go.
Orion walked for a while, long enough for the Energon he fell in to have dried off him completely, though they left visible stains on his frame. New things gave him no comfort. He wanted to go back to comfort, but he couldn't find it.
For the first time in his existence, lubricant threatened to fall from his optics.
He didn't know what to do.
He was lost.
Alone.
"Orion!"
The voice.
Orion spun around, spotting his obviously relieved caretaker at the other end of the hall. Orion's optics glowed, and his smile returned as he let out a click of pure happiness.
Orion ran up to Ratchet, the medic immediately scooping the sparkling up in his arms. Orion wrapped his small arms around Ratchet's neck, a whimper leaving his mouth. He found him. The owner of the voice.
Ratchet held him close. He was safe. Orion was safe. The thought of the bad things that could have happened forcibly left his processor. Ratchet's grip on the sparkling loosened, and he looked over Orion in concern. His optics widened when he saw the Energon covering his frame. He quickly scanned him for injuries, but found none. Ratchet hesitated, trying to think of a reason for Orion to have Energon attached the outside of his frame, but could think of nothing.
Orion paused, then held out the datapad for Ratchet to take. Ratchet picked it up, just holding it in his hand, paying it no mind. Orion let out another whimper, and the medic allowed the sparkling to embrace him again.
Ratchet started an uplink. "Voltlock, I found him."
"Thank the maker!" Voltlock replied, stress leaving his voice at an admirable rate. "I'm almost at your room now. Meet you two there in a Klik."
The uplink was dropped. Ratchet stood, the sparkling still held against him. Orion began shaking involuntarily, a whine escaping his throat, head buried into Ratchet's chest. As Ratchet walked, he caressed Orion's back, trying to calm him down. He found himself whispering soothing words to the sparkling, that everything was alright.
Ratchet turned a corner, and saw Voltlock pacing in front of the door to his quarters. Voltlock's optics darted to him, and he hurried over. "Is he alright?"
"I scanned him, he's fine," Ratchet said, though mostly to reassure himself.
Voltlock let a hand run over his faceplate, leaning against the wall. Voltlock let out a relieved chuckle. "No offense, Ratchet, but you are the worst caretaker I have ever met."
Ratchet, uncharacteristically, said nothing, only rolling his optics at the comment. Orion once again began playing with the medic's fingers, and Ratchet didn't stop him.
Orion looked up at Ratchet with a smile, and he returned it, completely sincere.